


you'll be safe (in these arms of mine)

by breakthesewallsdown



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV), wayhaught - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Slow Burn Ish, Vampires, Wayhaught - Freeform, Werewolves, maybe some smut who knows at this point, rosita is nb, shorty's is a diner and not a bar, there's also a djinn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-09 15:53:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17409800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breakthesewallsdown/pseuds/breakthesewallsdown
Summary: Nicole puts her hands on Waverly’s shoulder and squeezes softly. Waverly relaxes into the heat of her skin. Their eyes meet and Waverly isn’t sure if she can handle staring into those golden eyes, but somehow she manages.“There’s nothing to deal with, Waverly. Alright? This was my secret and now it’s yours, too. Ours.”orthe werewolf!au that literally no one asked for but I felt like writing anyway.





	1. you give me shivers

**Author's Note:**

> so. I started playing this dumb game called Lovestruck on my phone and I got totally invested, meaning I suddenly got inspired to write a Wayhaught fanfic loosely based on the story. I thought it'd be fitting and entertaining. Keep in mind that this story takes place in Purgatory, but it's slightly different from the Purgatory we know. 
> 
> this is the first time I've made an attempt at writing literally anything supernatural, so please be gentle. I will add more tags as the story goes on, by the way.
> 
> have fun reading! 
> 
> • titly from run to you by lea michele.

It’s just past noon when Waverly walks into Shorty’s. 

Gus is working the register while Wynonna is busy preparing some food for a customer. There’s a frown on her older sister’s face and Waverly can’t help but smile at the sight. Seeing Wynonna like this is always funny. Normally Wynonna is this rebel kind of woman, causing havoc left and right. But now it’s been almost a year since Gus offered Wynonna the job, partly because she felt like she had to, but also because she wanted to give Wynonna a chance to better her life. Waverly thinks it’s working out in her favour so far, because ever since Wynonna started working at Shorty’s she’s been more open and she just seems generally happier. 

And Waverly is glad. It hasn’t been easy, growing up in Purgatory. Especially not as an Earp. But they’re managing, now at least. Waverly probably more than Wynonna, but it is what it is. Wynonna doesn’t really care about what other people say. Or at least that’s what she’s trying to make everyone believe. Waverly doesn’t quite believe her all the time. She thinks her sister cares more than she lets on, but she’s just good at pretending. 

Wynonna looks up from where she was preparing a sandwich when Waverly sits down at the counter. She sends her younger sister a smile, finishing up quickly and walking over to where Sheriff Haught is sitting. Waverly looks over at the booth for a second, her eyes catching the redhead’s over her cup of coffee. Waverly’s breath hitches in her throat. All the Sheriff does is send her a small smirk—one side of her mouth quirking up just slightly. 

Waverly’s hands get clammy as she stares at the other woman, not being able to tear her eyes away. It’s only when Wynonna gets Nicole’s attention and the latter averts her gaze that Waverly is able to look away herself. She takes note of her heart beating rapidly in her chest, not being totally sure why her body is betraying her like this. She won’t deny that Nicole Haught is gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous, to be honest. She’s kind, caring and even though not everyone in town likes her, at least everyone respects her. 

When Waverly glances one last look at her, their eyes meet again and she shivers. There’s a glint in the other woman’s eyes and it kind of makes Waverly feel restless, just not necessarily in a bad way. 

They speak sometimes. When Wynonna gets herself in trouble, or when she does patrol around town and they run into each other. Waverly never says much, simply because she doesn’t want to make a fool out of herself. She’s never been the best at talking to pretty girls, let alone pretty girls who also happen to be the Sheriff. Nicole probably only sees her as Wynonna’s little sister anyway. Most people in this town do.

With that thought she focuses back on her big sister, who’s made her way back behind the counter and is now leaning her elbows on the wood to get Waverly’s attention. 

“Earth to Waverly.” 

Waverly blinks twice, quickly, before looking at Wynonna and smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. I was just thinking. How’s work?”

With a roll of her eyes Wynonna smirks slightly, “Do you have to ask, baby girl? At least Gus isn’t breathing down my neck.” 

“Stop it, Wyn,” Waverly tells her, “you’re lucky Aunt Gus offered you a job here. We wouldn’t be able to pay all of our bills with just my wage,” 

“Yeah, I don’t get it. Why are you still working at the Bowling Alley anyway? You’d make way more money if you just worked here, too. Gus could use the help.” 

“I know,” Waverly sighs, rubs her temple, “but I like it there. And I like my colleagues.” 

Wynonna shrugs lamely, “Can’t really relate, but fair enough.” 

Waverly opens her mouth to say something, but she’s cut off by the door slamming open. They both snap their heads around to look at the person responsible for the rude entrance, watching how a young man makes his way over towards the counter. Waverly doesn’t like the feeling slowly crawling up her chest, into her throat. All she knows is that she doesn’t feel very comfortable when the man looks her up and down.

He sits down three chairs away from Waverly and waves down Wynonna almost immediately. She raises her eyebrows at Waverly before walking over. Waverly has to try her best to eavesdrop, but so far he’s asking for a drink. She turns towards them slightly, not trusting it in the slightest. She casts a glance at Nicole and notices how she seems more alert too. 

Waverly doesn’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the way he walks, the way he carries himself with so much confidence it’s nearing on arrogant. Perhaps it’s the look in his eyes when he smirked at Waverly, almost threatening. All Waverly knows is that she’s not comfortable and she either wants him to go or wants to leave herself. 

“A coffee is only 99 cents, you don’t have to flirt your way into getting a discount,” Wynonna deadpans. 

This gets Waverly’s attention. This guy is flirting with Wynonna? No one ever flirts with Wynonna. Except maybe Dolls and Doc, but they just make a game out of it. Waverly looks at him once more, wishing she could just read his mind. 

“Here,” the man says, grabbing a five dollar bill out of his wallet, shoving it towards Wynonna over the counter, “the rest is yours.” 

Wynonna raises her eyebrow curiously, but changes the money in the register and puts the tip in her back pocket. She tries to make her way back over to Waverly, but the guy grabs her attention once more before she can do as much as take two steps. 

“So, when do you get off, pretty face?” 

Waverly frowns at the question. She doesn’t like where this is going, but Wynonna stops on her tracks and leans on the counter to look at him. She looks him up and down and Waverly cringes when his smirk only grows. She notices movement out of the corner of her eye and when she turns her head to look, Sheriff Haught is slowly making her way over. 

None of the other people seem to notice, but Waverly tenses when Nicole comes to stand a little in front of her, in between her and the man. She straightens her shoulders slightly, clasps her hands behind her back. 

“Is this man bothering you, miss Earp?” Nicole asks, ever so polite. 

Wynonna averts her gaze from the man and narrows her eyes at her, before tilting her head. “He is not, Sheriff. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.” 

Nicole nods just once, before putting her empty cup on the counter. “Can I get a refill before I go?” 

Nodding her head, Wynonna takes Nicole’s cup from her before she turns around to the coffee machine. Waverly notices how Nicole takes the man in, her eyes narrow and shoulders tense. She, on the other hand, is just sitting on her chair too scared to say or do anything. She is grateful for Nicole standing in between her and the stranger, even though she’s not completely sure why. 

Nicole’s fresh cup of coffee gets placed on the counter, next to her hand, and she just gives them a salute before grabbing her coffee and spinning on her heel. Waverly meets her gaze for the umpteenth time that day, the effect it has on her never changing. Brown eyes stare her down for a second, her lip curling up as she notices how Waverly looks at her. 

“Miss Earp,” Nicole says, voice soft – almost teasing.

“S-Sheriff Haught,” 

“Are _you_ alright?” 

Waverly feels the heat rush up her neck as Nicole keeps looking at her. She nods. They share another smile before Nicole, again, gives a small salute and exits through the front door. Waverly watches her go, stares at the closed door for a few moments after it slams closed. She doesn’t notice Wynonna staring at her. That is, until she turns back around and sees the smirk on her sister’s face. 

“What?” 

Wynonna just shakes her head, still smirking. “Nothing, baby girl.”

“Wipe that smirk off your face,” Waverly mutters, “can I get a lunch to go? I need to get back to the Alley.”

As Wynonna prepares Waverly some lunch, Gus makes her way over. She eyes the man still sitting at the counter warily, but otherwise pays him no mind. Waverly glances at him one more time, watches how he stirs his coffee, his eyes trained on Wynonna. 

Waverly shares a glance with Gus, both apparently not very pleased with the customer. Checking her watch, Waverly notices she really doesn’t have a lot of time anymore. Luckily Doc doesn’t mind when she eats during hours, so it’s not really a problem, but still. As soon as Wynonna hands her a bag with lunch, Waverly sends her and Gus a kiss before jumping off her chair. 

“I’ll see you tonight, Nona,” Waverly says as she waves quickly, “Bye, Gus.” 

The man at the counter tilts his head to look at her, a grin plastered onto his face. Waverly frowns and rushes out of the diner. 

She lets out a breath of relief as she closes the door behind her. She’s not completely sure what it is about the guy, but something seems off. First of all she’s never seen him before. Which is weird, to say the least. Everyone knows everyone in Purgatory. This guy has never been here before and no one willingly comes here. Like. Ever. Not as far as Waverly knows, that is. She can’t imagine any reason why people would voluntarily visit Purgatory. 

Waverly glances at the police station as she crosses the street. Sometimes she wonders what kind of person Nicole Haught is. Fair enough, she knows what kind of Sheriff she is. All for the people. But Waverly would like to know how Nicole relaxes after a tiring day at work, or how Nicole takes her coffee in the morning. She realizes those aren’t the most common questions someone has about their town Sheriff, but she doesn’t worry about it too much. It’s not like she’s crushing on the other woman.

As she walks back into the Bowley Alley, Doc looks up from the paperwork he’s currently hunched over. There’s a gentle smile on his face as he looks at her. 

“Miss Waverly,” 

“Hi, Doc,” she says, walking over to the table he’s sitting at. “Is it okay if I eat my lunch here?” 

He nods, “Go right ahead. There’s no one in here anyway. Except RB, they’re in the back. And Jeremy should be around somewhere too, but God knows where that boy spends his breaks.” 

Waverly just nods and sits down, grabbing her lunch out of the bag. It’s a vegan sandwich, just how she likes it, and a cup of apple juice. She eats her lunch in silence, watches Doc ever so often. It’s only when there’s loud and hurried footsteps behind her that Waverly shoots up, looking back towards the arcade. Jeremy is running their way with a big smile on his face, his phone in his hands. 

“You guys will never believe what just happened!” 

Doc puts his pen down, links his fingers together on the table in front of him. Waverly just raises her eyebrow as she takes another bite of her food, waiting of Jeremy to tell them what’s going on. His eyes are sparkling and there’s a text conversation open on his phone. Waverly is definitely curious.

“I have a date!”

“You what now?” Waverly asks, almost dropping her sandwich. 

He rolls his eyes, “I have a date. A real date. With a boy. Man.”

“A boy-man?” Doc asks, grinning. “I’m happy for you, Chetri.” 

There’s a wide smile on Jeremy’s face as he waves his phone in front of Waverly’s face. She can barely make out the words date and tonight. She smiles up at him, feeling very happy for her friend. 

“That’s amazing, Jer.”

“It’s what I deserve. Finally.” 

Waverly grins into her food, secretly wishing she could relate. It’s been so long since she had a date with someone she can’t even remember the last time. Not that there’s been anyone she wanted to take on a date lately – or, like, the past few months. Or years. But still, it would be nice if there was someone out there willing to go on a date with her. 

Her mind flashes to a certain redhead briefly, but she shakes the thought off. She doesn’t even want to go there. It would be inappropriate and she doesn’t even know the woman. Or, to be more exact, the woman doesn’t even know her. 

Jeremy starts talking about his date rapidly, asking question after question. Whether he should dress up or go for casual, whether he should offer to pay the bill, whether he should ask for a second date at the end of this one or wait and call a few days after. Waverly wishes she could help him, but she’s as useless with dating as he feels right now. 

It’s only when RB joins them all that Jeremy stops talking about his date – Robin – for a while. RB informs them that there’s a group of teenagers coming in later for a birthday party. Waverly sighs. She knows how those end. Either with someone drunk and passed out, or with her cleaning up vomit. Or both. Teenagers aren’t picky. Doc sends her a wink as soon as the bunch of kids walk in and Jeremy just pats her on the shoulder. 

“I’m in this with you, Waves, no worries.” RB says, seemingly as annoyed as Waverly. 

Waverly smiles thankfully, her hand coming up to grab RB’s. They squeeze Waverly’s fingers softly before dropping her hand and walking over towards the bar, where they ask the teenagers for their shoe sizes and if they’d already like to order a drink. 

Waverly just takes the time to prepare herself for another afternoon of cleaning up other’s people’s mess.


	2. but then i saw you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the start of a Wayhaught slowburn (attempt?) and where the hell is Wynonna?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: okay time to edit chapter 2  
> also me: adds over a 1000 words
> 
> so, yeah, this chapter is like twice as long as the first chapter. I hope you enjoy where I'm going with this!

It’s nearing six when Waverly makes her way back towards Shorty’s. 

Her shift ended about twenty minutes ago, but Jeremy needed help with some last date drama so now she’s rushing to pick her sister up from work. It’s a thing they started doing when Wynonna started her job at Shorty’s; drop each other off and pick each other up at work. Waverly doesn’t quite remember how it started, or who started it, but all she knows is that it works for them and it’s her favorite part of the day.

She pushes the door open and smiles at everyone she passes. Just like every other day, everyone smiles back. Waverly knows the people of Purgatory like her, even though it’s not necessarily for the right reasons. She knows they pity her—most of them. If it’s not for being an Earp, it’s for being Wynonna’s sister. It’s a mess, but Waverly has learned to just smile and wave. She catches Gus’ eyes from behind the counter, the older woman sipping on a cup of tea like usual at this time of day. She waves at Waverly, before putting her cup down and running a hand through her grey curls. 

“Hey, darling,” Gus says as Waverly walks up to her.

“Hi, Aunt Gus,” Waverly smiles, resting her arms on the counter. “How was work today?”

There’s a soft smile on the woman’s face as she looks her niece up and down. “Alright, actually. Some new folks, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

“That’s good. Is Wynonna in the back?” 

Gus shakes her head, “Wynonna left fifteen minutes ago.” 

“What?”

“I let her go a few minutes earlier. She asked.” 

Waverly can’t help but frown, “But.. She never leaves early?”

“I know,” Gus mutters, a small frown on her face, “and normally I don’t let her. I know about your unspoken rule. But she insisted.”

“Did she say anything about why she wanted to leave?” Waverly asks as she reaches for her phone, checking her latest notifications, “She hasn’t texted me.” 

“Some boy picked her up. I saw him waiting outside, all leathered jacket and cocky smile.” 

That same uneasy feeling from earlier comes flooding back and Waverly tries to not give in to it. But it’s just not like Wynonna to go somewhere and not let Waverly know. Don’t get her wrong, Waverly knows her sister and how she forgets things sometimes, but going out with a stranger and not telling Waverly? Doesn’t seem right. 

“I wouldn’t worry too much, kid,” Gus says, noticing Waverly’s mild panic. “You know Wynonna.” 

“Yeah. That might be why I’m worrying, she always gets into trouble.”

“I know. Part of me offering her this job was to keep her out of trouble, you know that. But it might be best if you just go home. She’ll turn up soon enough.”

Waverly nods and after saying her quick goodbyes she does as she’s told. She gets in her little red Jeep and starts driving back to the Homestead, just outside the city center. She keeps an eye out while driving, trying to pick up any sign of her sister, but there’s nothing that grabs her attention. There’s no sign of Wynonna at their house either, but that should be expected since Gus said she left with that guy. It would be surprising if she’d be home already. After locking her car and making her way inside, Waverly locks the front door. Checks the lock three times. She’s never really liked being home alone. There’s this uncomfortableness following her around whenever she’s alone, as if she’s being watched. As if something in the dark is just waiting to get her. She knows it’s stupid, but she’s always felt uncomfortable at the Homestead. She figures there’s just a lot of memories here.

She grabs her phone from her back pocket again and dials Wynonna’s number. Her heart sinks when it goes over to voicemail. Wynonna’s voice sounds sarcastic like usual and Waverly can’t help but smile a little. When she hangs up, she rolls her eyes and walks into the kitchen, wanting to make herself some dinner. Maybe there’s some leftovers she can heat up. She sends Wynonna a quick text, asking her to let her know she’s okay, before settling on some leftover pizza from last night. 

The night crawls by slowly and Waverly is bored. She tries to watch some tv, but the only thing she’s interested in is a documentary about space that is almost over. She manages to catch the last fifteen minutes of it, her mind still wandering off to her sister. Thoughts about her sister lead to thoughts about this town. She’s been living here her whole life, yet Waverly feels like she knows nothing about this place. Whenever she walks down the streets she just feels like there’s so many mysteries and secrets hanging over Purgatory, like a cloak. 

When the credits start rolling Waverly checks her phone again, only to see there’s still no news from Wynonna. 

There’s been nights like this before, Waverly recalls. Even though it’s the first time Wynonna leaves after work. Normally she leaves the Homestead after dinner. And most of those nights end with Wynonna in a holding cell and Waverly having to go pick her up in the middle of the night after receiving a call from either Sheriff Haught of her deputy. She hopes it’s the same tale tonight, because the alternative isn’t as appealing and just thinking about anything happening to Wynonna scares her to death. 

When the clock hits 10PM Waverly turns off the tv and heads upstairs to her bedroom. There’s no use in sitting around waiting for Wynonna, because God knows when she decides to turn up. She gets ready for bed in a rush, grabs one of her older books from her shelf and gets settled under the covers. 

Waverly tries to read. She tries to focus on the words, tries to make sentences out of them. But she can’t focus for more than two sentences before she gets distracted. Her eyes glaze over as she stares off into the distance. She starts thinking about what she’d do if the Sheriff calls her in the middle of the night, asking her if she can come pick her sister up. First of all she would give Wynonna the third degree, because who the hell does she think she is to just leave like that and not let Waverly know? But Waverly also thinks maybe she’d finally have the guts to actually talk to Nicole. Maybe even ask her out for a drink sometime. To thank her, maybe. Or just. As a date. 

The thought scares Waverly. Does she really want to talk Nicole out on a date? Or is she just thinking that because Jeremy kept talking about a date and Waverly is just a little bit envious, and Nicole is just an easy target? Because she’s beautiful and tough and maybe kind of sexy? Waverly shakes her head to herself. She shouldn’t be thinking like this. Her sister is God knows where, doing God know what, and she’s out here thinking inappropriate thoughts about the Sheriff.

She shakes her head to herself, brings her gaze back to the book in front of her.

But then she imagines Nicole’s smile and her dimples and the way she grins whenever Waverly says something stupid and Waverly realizes she may actually really want to take Nicole out on a date. And if she’s being completely honest with herself she has wanted to for a while now. It’s just not that easy to admit you’re crushing on the town Sheriff, is it? So it’s better to keep it inside and shove it down. Deep down. No matter how cute a girl looks when she smiles.

Nicole’s dimpled smile is the last thing Waverly remembers before falling asleep. Her head droops to the side, book falling closed in her lap and when she wakes up again it’s nearing 4 in the morning. There’s no missed calls or no unseen texts on her phone and now Waverly is getting worried. Whenever something goes down, Nicole calls around three. Wynonna never stays out later than that. 

Reaching for her phone once more, Waverly goes to the _Find my iPhone_ option in her settings. It’s a thing her and Wynonna had agreed on doing a few years ago, so they could always check on each other. It might be a bit drastic, but Waverly has always been the overthinker of the family and it just doesn’t sit well with her that her sister left with some guy ten hours ago and still hasn’t reached out to her. It takes a while to load, every second ticking by only stressing Waverly out more, but when it does load Waverly’s stomach sinks. Wynonna’s at the lake. 

Why is she at the lake at this time? What is she doing? 

Before she knows it she’s out of bed and she’s sliding into her boots. She figures her pajamas aren’t the warmest type of clothes for this time of year, but after shrugging on her winter coat and a scarf she grabs her keys and heads out. Checking her phone to see if Wynonna is still there, she gets in her car. This might not be her smartest idea yet, but it’s 4AM and she’s going to go pick her sister up from whatever party that’s going on near the lake. Of all places. 

There’s no traffic – of course – and Waverly makes it to the lake in record time. She parks her car a little off the road and walks the last few feet, frowning when she sees a police vehicle. Or, well, _the_ police vehicle. There’s only one. And it’s Nicole’s. Why is Nicole at the lake? Does she know anything about Wynonna? Did she receive a call? Is Wynonna in trouble? Deciding to figure it out, she just keeps walking.

It’s dark and Waverly uses the flashlight on her phone to see more than an arm’s length in front of her. As she looks around she calls for Wynonna, her voice only being met with silence. She can’t hear anything. No music, no voices, no sounds at all. She can feel her body tremble and she’s not sure it’s because she’s cold or because she’s scared. But as she walks further into the woods, closer to the lake, there’s something hanging in the air that she can’t place. It puts her off. Makes her feel on edge. She feels like the air is slowly getting sucked out of her lungs, as if there’s not enough to go around. She feels trapped, her heart squeezing in her chest as she hastily looks around.

A twig snaps somewhere to her right, making her stop in her tracks. Waverly calls for her sister again, hoping that maybe Wynonna was just playing a prank on her. Maybe she just wanted to tease her and give her a good scare. But then there’s another snap, closer this time, and Waverly backs away slightly. She directs her flashlight towards the sound, not sure it’s the smartest idea, and when piercing golden eyes shine back from between the trees, Waverly gasps. 

They’re edging closer just as Waverly starts backing away. She’s not sure what it is, but she’s also not sure she wants to find out. For a while she thinks it might be a coyote or some sort of other animal, but the eyes are not low to the ground. Instead they’re higher up. Fear takes over Waverly’s body and she freezes. She knows this isn’t Wynonna. It can’t be. 

Waverly’s hand clenches around her phone as the figure steps out from between the trees. Then she almost drops her phone. It’s Nicole. Standing there, in a tank top, her khakis on, fists clenched next to her body. But she doesn’t look like Nicole. Her stance is confident and she seems even taller than usual. Waverly looks at her then, really looks at her— lets her gaze wander. The brown eyes that usually stare back at her aren’t there. Instead Waverly is looking into eyes that are closer to golden, almost sparkling. She kind of feels like she’s looking at a stranger. Waverly’s eyes move from Nicole’s eyes to the top of her head. Her ginger curls are still there, but on top of Nicole’s head are.. ears? Waverly has to look twice. Nicole has.. furry ears.. on top of her head. The same color as her hair. They almost seem to be growing from her hair, too. As if Nicole can just take them out and put them back. Like extensions or whatever the hell people wear these days.

“What is going on?” she manages to ask as her gaze slips from Nicole’s head, down her body.

Her heart is beating erratically in her chest, not sure what to do now. Nicole hasn’t said anything. She just keeps staring at Waverly, shoulders tense and eyes piercing holes through Waverly’s head. Waverly watches the tension in Nicole’s arms, her mouth slightly watering at the muscles tensing and relaxing every few seconds. Waverly has always known how good-looking Nicole is, but seeing her here, now, is just a little too much perhaps. Waverly can vaguely see Nicole’s abs through her tank top and she feels like her heart might give up on her. She automatically forgets about the furry ears. But then her eyes land on Nicole’s hands and she.. What? Claws? Really? Is this some kind of sick Halloween prank everyone except Waverly knows about? Is she dreaming? Like, is she still in bed at the Homestead, just having this weird dream because of her thoughts earlier? Because this sure as hell isn’t real and this isn’t happening. 

Waverly isn’t sure what to do so she backs away softly, at the same time Nicole takes a step closer. It’s not that Waverly’s scared of Nicole, she’s just scared of what this all means. She’s scared, because what if this is all real? What if she’s not dreaming? What if Nicole really is this.. whatever she is. Waverly has so many questions, yet she feels like she’s not going to get any answers anytime soon. 

“Is this—Are you—What?” 

When Nicole takes another step closer, Waverly rushes backwards, until her foot catches on the root of a tree and she tumbles to the ground. Nicole reaches forward immediately, but Waverly shies away. There’s a flash of _something_ in Nicole’s eyes when Waverly curls herself into the tree behind her. Waverly doesn’t know what’s happening, doesn’t know what Nicole is going to do, doesn’t know what Nicole even _is_. 

But then Nicole crouches down until they’re on eye level and reaches out her hand. Her hand seems strong, yet soft, and Waverly knows she should be scared of the claws sticking out of Nicole’s hands, but she’s not. Nicole is looking at her like she’ll break, her hand still outstretched. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, Waverly,” 

There’s a soft growl in Nicole’s voice when she speaks, her voice deeper now than when they spoke in the diner this morning. There’s something honest in Nicole’s expression and Waverly tells herself that’s the reason she grabs Nicole’s hand. Nicole pulls her up in one swift motion, holding her steady with one hand on her hip. Waverly’s knees feel like they might give out soon, so she clutches onto Nicole’s arm. 

Nicole’s arm that’s very muscular. Waverly has noticed before, of course, but now that Nicole is standing this close and she can actually feel them under her palm, Waverly can’t help but stare a little. Oh, wow. She wonders what Nicole could do with arms like that. She has to stop her mind from wandering. 

“Are you okay?” Nicole asks, brushing a strand of hair away from Waverly’s face, the back of her fingers lingering on Waverly’s cheek. Careful not to scratch her with her claws.

Waverly halts. Nicole has never touched her like this before. They’ve never even been this close. There’s always the appropriate distance whenever they see each other or whenever they’re expected to interact. Nicole has never made an attempt to do anything else. 

Maybe it’s the safety of the night that emboldens them both, because at Nicole’s touch Waverly steps a little closer. She knows she should be scared, probably. She’s standing with a.. Werewolf? Ish? But she doesn’t find it in herself to be scared. Maybe she was, just a minute ago, but now that Nicole is this close, now that Nicole has spoken to her, she feels the fear leave her body, slowly and then all at once.

“Sheriff?” she asks, voice silent.

There’s a twinkle of amusement in Nicole’s golden eyes and Waverly is taken aback for a second. Nicole just looks at her, hand dropping from Waverly’s face and hip to take a small step back. Waverly tries her best not to pout at the loss of contact. Her eyes scan Nicole’s face, but other than the previous stated differences she still looks the same. She still has the same dimples in her cheeks when she smiles, the same adorable crinkle between her eyebrows when she frowns.

“You can use my name, Waverly.” 

“Nicole.” 

“Yes?” 

After taking a deep breath, Waverly speaks up, “What—You have ears. And—And claws. And fangs? Are those fangs? Are they real? Or are you messing with me? I don’t know how to deal with this.” 

Nicole puts her hands on Waverly’s shoulder and squeezes softly. Waverly relaxes into the warmth of her skin, the heat grounding her. Their eyes meet and Waverly isn’t sure if she can handle staring into those golden eyes, but somehow she manages. 

“There’s nothing to deal with, Waverly. Alright? This was my secret and now it’s yours, too. Ours.”

All Waverly can do is nod. She doesn’t know what else to do. Who would she tell? It’s not like anyone would believe her anyway. Nicole seems content with Waverly’s response and relaxes a little. 

“What are you doing here? It's late.” 

That brings Waverly back to her worries. She immediately checks her phone, checking if there’s news from Wynonna. But her phone is still around here somewhere and there’s still no text messages. She looks back up at Nicole, eyes wide and scared. 

“Wynonna didn’t come home last night. That’s not like her. You know that.” 

Nicole frowns. “Where did she go?”

“I don’t know. She left with some guy after her shift at Shorty’s. She never came home. So I tracked her phone and it lead me here.”

Nicole tilts her head even before Waverly finishes talking, her ears twitching a little. Waverly still can’t believe Nicole has _ears_. There’s a focused look on her face, something Waverly recognizes from Nicole’s day job. You know. Being a cop. The Sheriff. While apparently also being a werewolf. Of some sort. 

“Here, you say?” 

Waverly nods. Nicole hums, even though it sounds more like she’s growling again, and it sets something off inside Waverly’s stomach. Nicole looks at her once more and before Waverly realizes what’s happening, Nicole runs off. Waverly has never seen anyone run this fast. 

She’s confused for a second. What’s going on? Why did Nicole leave her alone just like that? Did she hear something? Does she know something? Waverly stays put for a couple of minutes, just in case Nicole comes back, but when it’s clear that’s not the case she decides to look for Wynonna even though she doesn’t hold onto any hope. But she didn’t come here for nothing so the least she can do is try. 

She searches everywhere, tries her best to find something—anything. But it’s dark and if things like Nicole exist Waverly wonders what else is out there. It scares her and honestly she doesn’t really want to think about any of it anymore. She might just still be dreaming anyway. She’ll wake up in the morning and none of this will be real. Wynonna will be making a mess in the kitchen as usual and Nicole will just be Nicole. The same Nicole that Waverly doesn’t dare talk to about anything other than her sister.

Ten minutes later Waverly still hasn’t found anything. She’s cold and tired and scared and maybe she should just come back in the morning. Wynonna obviously isn’t here. And if she is she doesn’t want to be found. Waverly quickly finds her way back towards her car, noticing the police car is still there, and quickly drives home. Waverly can’t stop thinking about what happened tonight. About Wynonna, about Nicole. It’s all a mess and somehow it feels like it’s all coming together at the same time. 

Why was Nicole there? Is it just a thing she does, run into the woods as a wolf to blow of steam? Or was she there because of Wynonna? Or some other supernatural creature? God. Waverly needs to stop asking herself all these questions or she’s going to go insane. She wouldn’t even know where to get the answers anyway. She can’t just straight up ask Nicole, right?

Waverly doesn’t sleep when she gets home. She pulls the covers up to her chin and closes her eyes, tries to sleep, but she can’t. Every time she closes her eyes she sees golden eyes and a teasing smirk, slightly parted lips and fangs just visible. Every time Waverly feels herself dozing off she remembers Nicole’s strong arms and how she pulled her up so effortlessly. Waverly’s heart skips a beat every time. She shakes her head to herself, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. 

At one point she must’ve dozed off, because when she opens her eyes next it’s light out and her head hurts. After checking the time on her phone real quick she realizes she probably only got about two hours of sleep, her screen showing it’s nearing 8AM. There’s still not texts or calls from Wynonna, but there is a text from Gus asking her if she’s heard from her sister yet. Waverly decides to go by the diner later today.

It’s her day off today anyway, so after forcing herself to eat some breakfast, Waverly heads out again. It seems chillier than yesterday, so Waverly tightens her scarf around her neck before pulling her beanie more firmly down over her ears. She’s never been a fan of the colder weather and she or sure can’t wait for spring to get here in a few weeks. Especially if Wynonna is going to make a habit out of this. At least she can go out in the night when it’s not freezing to go look for her.

Waverly gets back into her car and drives back towards the lake. She keeps her eyes open on the way there, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. People in town don’t seem to act any different, no one seems to be panicking—no one seems to be missing Wynonna. No one but her. Not that Waverly’s surprised. Wynonna’s always been the Earp the folks liked less. For some reason they all took a liking to Waverly, probably because she’s the youngest and the most innocent of them all. Wynonna, on the other hand, is none of those things. 

Waverly shakes her head as she drives out of town, nearing the lake. The closer she gets, the more her heart starts beating in her throat. She just hopes she finds something, even if it’s bad news. In the early years of her life she’s learned that she prefers bad news over no news. 

As soon as her car’s parked she rushes out of the vehicle, back to where she ran into Nicole last night. 

Shit, Nicole. Did last night actually happen? Is Nicole actually a werewolf? The longer Waverly thinks about it the less it feels like a dream. Because if it was, why would she have imagined all those things on the redhead? It’s not like she fantasises about Nicole as a werewolf on the daily. Or about werewolves in general. She doesn’t even know anything about werewolves.

Waverly starts looking where she started yesterday. Her eyes linger on the spot where Nicole had held her, where Nicole had stroked hair out of her face, and for a minute Waverly gets angry at herself. Angry for getting distracted, for not staying focused. So she shakes her head again and walks forwards, closer to the lake. Her eyes scan everything she can see, multiple times, but everything seems like it was last night. Fair enough, there’s actual daylight now so Waverly can actually see things, but she doesn’t _see_ anything. 

Sure, it all seems a little less creepy now. A little less like there might be someone – something? – in the bushes ready to jump her and eat the flesh of her bones. But still. Waverly decides to check the app again, see if Wynonna’s phone moved in the few hours she was back at the Homestead, and she sighs when she sees the phone is still where it was. She’s not sure if that’s a relief or if that just adds to her worries. Wynonna’s phone is almost out of battery, there’s a flashing sign on her own screen, and honestly Waverly is surprised her phone lasted that long. 

“Okay,” Waverly starts muttering to herself, “if I was a phone, where would I be?” 

“Have you tried calling it?” 

Waverly almost screams. Almost. She turns around in a flash, kind of surprised to see Nicole standing a few feet away. For a second she wonders how on earth Nicole could’ve ever heard her from that distance, but then she remembers the wolf ears and.. yeah, of course Nicole has, like, super hearing or whatever. Cool. Nice. That’s fine. Totally not creepy in the slightest. 

Nicole puts her hand on her belt, her usual Sheriff stance, and Waverly lets herself appreciate the uniform for a moment. Nicole looks good. A little tired, maybe. But good. And it’s not like Waverly looks any less tired, so who is she to judge. At least she looks like Nicole this time. Brown, soft eyes looking at her worriedly, short clipped fingernails digging into the leather of her belt. And her hair is as curly as always, but there’s not ears on top of her head. Waverly has to look her over twice.

“It’s alright. It’s just me.” 

Waverly snorts. “Just you, huh?” 

A small smile tugs at the Sheriff’s lips, her eyes narrowing at Waverly playfully. The silence lingers in the air for a second, until Nicole takes a few steps closer so they’re on the edge of each other’s personal space. Waverly doesn’t mind, if she’s being completely honest. She doesn’t mind at all. 

“Just me.” 

“Well, _just you_ startled me... Sheriff.” 

Waverly isn’t sure if she can call her by her name now. She doesn’t know the rules for when Nicole’s on duty, so she settles for safe instead. Nicole seems to notice, because the smile previously trying to break out on her face only seems to grow. There’s something mischievous flashing through her eyes—Waverly thinks it almost looks like golden sparkles. 

She tries to look for any signs of last night. The ears, the eyes, the claws. But Nicole looks just like she always does and Waverly doesn’t understand. Did she really just imagine all of it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I absolutely love reading y'alls comments and they're really motivating me to write more, so feel free to keep 'em coming. 
> 
> Next chapter will be up either sunday or monday.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this far, I hope you liked it!
> 
> I will try to upload once a week (sunday-monday ish, hopefully), but please consider that life can sometimes get in the way and updates might be delayed. if you've got any questions, feel free to ask me them and I'll get back to you asap! 
> 
> I hope you're all as excited as me to see where this story will take our favorite ladies.
> 
> ps: comments are super fun to read and motivate me to write more/faster, so feel free to tell me if you liked it (:


End file.
